Metroid: Kiss of the Dragon
by Sinder
Summary: Before the X, before the Hatchling, before the Phazon... there was the Dragon. Comments and criticisms are welcome.


**Metroid: Kiss of the Dragon**

By S. R. H.

DISCLAIMER: Metroid is the property of Nintendo, whose characters are used here without permission, for entertainment purposes only. This story was not written for profit, and it was not written to libel Nintendo or the Metroid franchise.

This story is intended for mature audiences. For matters of reference, the story is intended to take place following the events of _Metroid Prime_, but prior to the events of _Metroid Prime 2_.

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**Chapter I: Memories of the Dragon**

_**"Greetings, Huntress! Did you miss me?"**_

_She made the mistake of looking up to search for the source of his voice, and heard the words an instant before he came down atop her. He swooped in fast, faster than she would have thought something of his size could move, and landed heavily upon her, his extended claws slamming hard into her breastplate. Were it not for her armor, she would not have survived the first blow; he struck her with such force that she actually sank into the surface of the temple roof, the sturdy stone cracking and yielding beneath her prone shape._

_He leered over her, a hideous smile upon his snout exposing countless glimmering teeth to her sight. The weight of his foot upon her chest was enough to make her power suit creak and spark in protest, but then he leaned down, encompassed the whole of her head in one of his massive foreclaws, and began to squeeze. **"Crusssh,"** he hissed. The duraglass plate of her visor began to crack beneath the pressure, air hissing out through the fissures._

_That's when she shot him. She knew it wasn't a wise idea, not at point-blank range, but he left her with little choice. She pulled the trigger within the cannon, heard the whine of energy as the plasma cell charged, lifted her arm, and pressed the tip of the barrel against his chest. The sheer width of his claw around her face made it impossible for her to see, but at least this way, she knew she wouldn't miss._

_She heard him hiss sharply just before she fired. He must have realized what she was about to do._

_She could feel the intense heat through her armor. She hadn't even been the target, and her body still felt like it was on fire. But he **was **on fire; the batlike wings upon his shoulders flared and burned like paper, leaving only black ribs of charred bone in their wake. He screeched and screamed in agony, staggering away from where she lay, frantically flapping his disintegrating wings in a vain attempt to put them out._

_It was only through sheer luck that his own blast missed her. She was rising unsteadily to her feet, and would not have been able to avoid it if she had tried, but he was in too much pain to get a proper bead on her. His skewed aim allowed the crimson beam of energy that shot from within his maw to scream past her and lash harmlessly into the dark sky._

_Her visor plate sparked and sputtered, flooding her vision with chaotic, nonsensical status readouts and corrupted sensor data. With a grunt, she lifted her hand to the rear of her neck and undid a clasp, tossing her helmet to the temple roof with a noisy clatter. It was useless now._

_It was raining--raining** hard**, in fact. The entire region had been bathed in a constant downpour for at least ten hours, ever since she had first set foot upon the planet. She had grown accustomed to the sound of the droplets drumming upon her armor and the blur of the water upon her visor, to the point that she had begun to ignore it entirely. But now, with her helmet gone, she was reminded of the storm's presence: a brisk wind blew sheets of water across her suit and into her face. The rain hissed, bursting into steam upon contact with her armor, which glowed orange with heat. Damp strands of her shoulder-length blonde hair matted against her forehead and clung to her neck. Shadowed clouds heavy with rain covered the sky, turning what should have been midday light into the dusk of evening._

_And yet, despite the haze and the dark, he was still impossible to miss; brilliant flashes of lightning lit up the sky, and illuminated his silhouette. His body was jet black, from the tip of his snout to the edge of the whiplike, spaded tail that angrily lashed back and forth in front of him. Black as the night, save for his eyes--they glowed like embers, burning red within their sockets, casting a pale scarlet glow upon the features of his face. He was clearly hurt, nursing his ruined wings, hissing as his talons brushed across the exposed bones. He turned that smoldering gaze upon her, his words more growled than spoken. **"Bitch!"** he snarled.** "Now you die!"**_

_"You first," she growled back. She grasped the arm cannon's trigger, feeling the barrel hum with power. The flame-red glow of plasma cast its light upon her own body, making her as visible to him as he was to her. That was precisely what she wanted._

_They charged one another. The roof shook with each of his thundering steps; the metallic clang of her own footfalls rang in her ears. She knew she couldn't beat him in a contest of brute force, not fighting on the ground. If he were still flying, she could have at least shot him down, perhaps made him crash into the temple, but the loss of his wings meant he would engage her in close quarters. That could work to her advantage; she could end the battle quickly, if she timed things right, but she would only get one chance--he would not be stupid enough to allow her to try again._

_The distance between them closed. He roared at her in his fury, and she realized that the scream that shattered the air was her own. She watched his form move, watched for the body language that would betray his attack, keeping one eye upon his claws, the other upon his tail--one of his arms drew back. She dropped into a crouch, and jumped._

_The bottom of her boots scraped lightly upon his lunging claw, his talons slicing through the spot she had occupied but a moment before. She leaped forward, staring straight into his grotesque face while he shrieked at her. It was into his open maw that she jammed the barrel of the cannon, knocking out a dozen of his numerous teeth with a sound like shattering glass, accompanied by a rumbling crack of thunder. And then she fired._

_Had she been standing, the recoil of the shot would have forced her to take a few steps backward. Fired in mid-air without any support, the burst of plasma sent her hurtling away from him, skidding upon her back in a shower of sparks, her suit skipping along the roof like a rock along the surface of a pond. She could do little more than grit her teeth together and hold her breath until she finally ground to a halt, her armor leaving deep furrows in the stone beneath her._

_She panted for breath, and looked toward the spot where he had been standing. He was gone. She hadn't even heard him scream._

_He couldn't have been incinerated. The plasma beam wasn't that powerful... and she wasn't that lucky. She rose woozily to her feet, and limped toward the brink of the roof, gazing down upon the yawning abyss of the crater below the temple._

_He was clinging to the edge of the structure with one foreclaw. His other arm hung limply at his side; she thought it might be broken, but the surrounding darkness and her vantage point made it difficult to be sure. The remnants of his wings beat weakly upon his back in a futile attempt to take him airborne. He was looking over his shoulder at the pit below. When he turned to face her, she gasped in horror; half of his face was gone. The armored plates of his hide had melted and fused together, covering one side of his head in molten slag that was still glowing red. Even more of his teeth were missing. One of his eyes had gone dark; the other sparked and flickered like a light that was on the verge of burning out._

_He must have noticed the expression of revulsion on her face. When he spoke, his voice was a gravelly gurgle, his words tainted by the pain that wracked his mangled body. **"What's the matter, Huntress?"** he hissed. **"I'd thought you would be glad to see me like this."** _

_Her visage twisted into a contemptuous smirk. "At least I won't have to look at you much longer." She lifted her cannon to bear, watching the particles of plasma gather at the end of the barrel. "Go back to Hell," she whispered._

_**"I'll see you there,"** he retorted. He managed to grin, a pained expression that showcased his remaining teeth.** "Foolish human. Do you really think you can kill me with that pathetic toy of yours?"**_

_She snorted. "This 'toy' was more than enough to take out all of the other pirates. I don't think it'll have a problem with killing one more."_

_**"Ahh,"** he rasped, **"but I am no mere space pirate."** He shuddered where he hung, an anguished tremor coursing through his battered body. From where she stood, she could see his tail convulsing behind him like a snake. Streams of water ran down his deformed face; she could not discern the flowing raindrops from his tears of suffering. He gazed up the length of her cannon, hissing, **"I am immortal. No one can ever kill me... especially not you, Huntress."**_

_She grunted. "Perhaps we should test that theory." She took another step closer to him, pointing the cannon straight down at his head; she had to resist the urge to kneel down and simply press it right between his eyes, for she was wary of being speared by his tail. "Go on... tell me why I can't burn you to ashes."_

_He cracked a monstrous smile. **"Because you are just like me."**_

_"Shut your mouth!" she snarled, speaking more loudly than she'd intended. For a brief moment, she was ready to slam her cannon into his face again, threatened by his tail or not. "Don't you ever compare me to yourself, pirate trash! I'm nothing like you, understand? Nothing!"_

_**"Are you trying to convince me... or yourself?"** he taunted. **"Oh, you and I are very much alike, my dear Huntress. We both work to serve only our own interests. We both live for the hunt. We both kill for money... and we both enjoy it."**_

_"Wrong," she growled. "You're a murderer. I am a defender. I protect the people you take such pleasure in torturing." She watched the play of the plasma-glow upon his face; it bathed his entire body in dark red light, richer and stronger than that of his own eyes, making him appear more sinister than usual. "I kill because I **have** to... you kill because you **want** to."_

_He seemed amused, despite his obvious pain. **"Keep telling yourself that, if it helps you sleep at night."** His sole remaining eye flared brightly before continuing to flicker. **"Go ahead. Shoot me, if that is what you desire. It is as you said... what is one more kill added to your renowned tally?"**_

_She winced, recalling her own words, and pulled the cannon's trigger more tightly; the weapon hummed more loudly, its aura of crimson light expanding. "Shut up," she spat._

_He took dark pleasure in the discomfort upon her face, and it made him chuckle, sending fresh spasms of torment through his form. **"Remember this, Huntress: you will never be rid of me. Never, for I can never die. If you hurl me into the crater here and now, I will return. I have done so before, and I will do so again. And until then, I shall always be with you. Every time you collect a bounty, every time you execute a pirate..." **He gave a broken smirk, sneering at her. **"... every time you thrill at the thought of the hunt, and relish the excitement of your fresh kill... I will be there, in spirit... in essence... applauding the work of my fellow assassin!"**_

_He laughed at her. The very act must have caused him unbearable pain, and still, he laughed. A high, shrieking cackle that made his body tremble. He threw his head back, his maw open wide, the sound growing louder, and louder..._

_"SHUT UP!" she screamed. The cannon actually felt warm upon her arm, crackling with energy; it was beginning to overload, but she didn't care. A bolt of lightning split the sky overhead, fully illuminating his horrible, laughing, mocking countenance. She narrowed her eyes, squinting through the rain, and the tears, and carefully aimed the cannon, steadying the vibrating weapon with her free hand--his open snout would make the perfect target._

_He shut up. The laughter stopped, abruptly, as if someone had flipped a switch, and simply turned the sound off; his snout was still open, the few teeth he had left gleaming in the frequent flashes of lightning. He looked up at her with a strange expression, one of puzzlement, as if he could not comprehend why she was looming over him, bearing her weapon down upon his face. She saw him lift his free arm--not broken after all, apparently--and reach over the side of the roof, extending his claw toward her. She waited, quite patiently--she would be able to better rationalize killing him once he provoked her--and actually smiled as she watched his talons graze the surface of her boot._

_Just before she fired, she noticed that the hue of his widened eye had changed from red to yellow._

_The supercharged plasma erupted from within the cannon, shearing off the entire edge of the roof. His shape vanished within the glare of the beam, black armor yielding to the all-encompassing scarlet light. She heard him scream this time, a screech louder and more piercing than any that had come before--one that was suddenly cut off in mid-cry. She had thought the shot would send him directly into the pit, but the force of the blast was powerful enough to catapult his body into the side of the crater itself, embedding him in the rock wall._

_A cloud of dark smoke obscured his silhouette from her sight. As it dissipated, she could see the armor of his body glowing a bright, bloody red; the surrounding stone had been charred black by the heat. His head was hung, both arms outstretched at his sides, framed by the remains of his bony wings. The metallic plates upon his legs and tail had melted, welding them all together into a solid mass, protruding straight beneath his waist like the point of a spike._

_The burst of plasma had crucified him._

_She gazed at his lifeless form, watching the pouring rain cooling his smelted hide, engulfing him in a faint mist of steam. She didn't understand the tears that ran from her eyes; she didn't feel sorry for him. Nor did she feel happy that he was dead. She didn't feel anything... except numb._

_The press of a button within the cannon engaged its missile mode; the weapon trembled upon her arm, but not because of any energy charge. She lined up the shot, and prepared to bury him under an avalanche of granite._

_The crash of thunder startled her. It rent the air apart, loud and clear, so close that it made her bones resonate with the boom. A few small stones in the crater wall responded to the noise, clattered and fell, knocked loose by the impact of his body; his corpse followed a moment later, shaken from its resting place by the angry storm. He landed upon the slope of the rock with an audible, metallic clang, his arms, torso, and wings folding in upon themselves as he fell, the harsh sound repeating over and over while he rolled into the pit._

_She watched him disappear in the blackness of the abyss, and lowered the cannon to her side. Her eyes lingered upon the crater, as if to ensure that he would not suddenly rise out of the darkness with a vengeful roar. But he did not return. All was quiet, save for the drumming of raindrops upon her suit, and the subdued growl of thunder._

_She closed her eyes, a soft, shuddering sigh escaping her. "This time, **stay **dead, you bastard," she whispered to the dark, and to any ghost that might be listening._

_A final roll of thunder signaled the end of the tempest, the obsidian clouds finally parting to reveal long-hidden rays of sunlight. She turned away from the edge of the precipice and moved to retrieve her discarded helmet, and did not look back, leaving his grave behind her._

_----------_

Samus Aran awoke with a start.

She sat bolt upright in her chair to find herself safe and secure in the cockpit of her ship. There was no temple, no storm, no_ him_. It had all merely been a dream.

_More like a nightmare_, Samus thought. She rubbed a hand across her face. Her skin was covered in perspiration--a cold, clammy sweat. It soaked through the fabric of the old, lime-green Galactic Federation jumpsuit she wore, making the area around the collar damp. Golden strands of hair hugged against her forehead; she brushed them away with a sigh, allowing her eyes to drift shut.

A beep from the ship's computer. _"Good morning, Samus,"_ the masculine, electronic voice said.

"Good morning, Hunter."

Another beep. _"My bio-sensors indicate a significant increase in your heart rate and body temperature. Are you feeling all right?"_

Samus chuckled, ruby lips curling into a smile. She knew that the personality of the Hunter IV gunship's computer was just a product of its artificial intelligence, and as such, was incapable of feeling any emotion, but there were times when she could swear it actually sounded concerned for her. "I'm fine, Hunter," she said. "Just the dream again. Were you able to record it?"

_"Affirmative, ma'am. A full mental imprint of the subconscious imagery has been copied by the neural scanner, as per your orders. You may review the file at your convenience."_

"Thank you. Have we arrived yet?"

_"Affirmative. Gunship arrived at destination: Tallon III one hour ago. Standard orbit has been achieved. Awaiting further orders."_

"An hour ago? Hmph. Why didn't you wake me up?"

A series of rapid beeps, then, _"Your sleep has been... troubled, as of late, ma'am. I did not wish to disturb your rest."_

Samus laughed. "Oh, great, a computer with a conscience." The idea was so absurd that she couldn't help but giggle to herself, a smirk creasing her lips. "I just might have to retire, if I'm going to have you worrying over me like a spouse every time I go on a mission. You're a _gunship_. Can I count on you to defend us in a firefight, or should I go ahead and surrender to save us all the trouble?"

_"I am equipped with four laser cannons in the 30mm-200mm range, six Striker space homing missiles, one stockpile of Federation proton torpedoes, six Solaris space mines, and am authorized to use lethal force in the deployment of all, ma'am. You know that."_

She gave a wry smile. "You're right, I do." She looked out of the cockpit window at the planet below. Tallon III was similar in appearance to Earth: a marble of blue, green, and white that hung in the black, inky void of space, surrounded by glimmering specks of stars. She gazed upon it in silence for a long moment before she spoke. "Open my audio log."

A beep. _"Log open. Begin when ready."_

Samus leaned back in her seat. "Personal log of Samus Aran," she said. She spoke in a crisp, clear tone, to ensure the computer would be able to record it. "Today is October... 15, 2047, Galactic Standard calendar. My ship has dropped out of hyperspace and settled into orbit around the planet Tallon III. I have been contracted by the Federation to investigate an unexplained Phazon energy signature on the surface. Nearly one month has passed since my last mission on the target's sister world of Tallon IV, and the destruction of the space pirate facilities on the planet."

She clasped her hands together behind her head. "With the death of the lifeform the pirates referred to as 'Metroid Prime', the spread of the highly radioactive, mutagenic substance called 'Phazon' across Tallon IV has ceased. Metroid Prime itself was apparently the source of the Phazon contamination; after its destruction, most of the Phazon present in the planet's environment has dissipated. Since the completion of my mission there, a Federation survey team has been working on-world to confiscate the space pirates' supply of refined Phazon strains, and to sanitize the deposits of Phazon ore that remain embedded in the planet's crust."

"However, the presence of Phazon on the neighboring world of Tallon III is cause for concern. So far as anyone knows, the pirates never established any bases on that planet; the atmosphere is breathable, at least by Terran standards, but the air is rather thin, and the world itself is poor in mineral resources. It would probably be unsuitable for a pirate outpost, and the Federation has never seriously considered establishing a colony there." She frowned. "Which begs the question of just _how_ the Phazon the survey team detected got there in the first place. It could be a surviving remnant of the pirate force, or maybe a chunk of the original Phazon meteor that impacted Tallon IV. But I didn't pick up any Phazon on the planet the last time I was in the system, which makes the latter possibility seem unlikely. However it got there, it did so fairly recently. In any event, the Federation wants me to go in and secure the area. After I gave them my account of what Phazon can do, they've decided to keep a tight lid on the stuff, and they can't risk just letting it lie around on some planet for more pirates--or anyone else--to find."

She looked at the planet again. "It's strange. I'm here because I've been assigned a mission, but at the same time, I feel oddly drawn to this system, as though something was calling out to me. After the Phazon matter has been dealt with, I think I'll return to Tallon IV to conduct a thorough examination of the Chozo ruins there. The Chozo might have left behind additional information about myself, or my power suit, that could be of some use to me. And who knows, the survey team just might provide me with a free meal. It's been a while since I was able to get my hands on some decent food."

Samus sighed, and closed her eyes. "I had the dream again. The same one, every night, for weeks. It never changes. I'm fairly certain it accurately depicts how the battle at the Chozo temple on Tallon IV played out... but I've had the dream so many times that it's become difficult to be sure. I don't know which memories are genuine, and which ones are just creations of my mind. The reality has begun to blend with my own thoughts."

She grit her teeth. "I don't understand why I keep dreaming about that fight--about _Ridley_. If he had beaten me, if he had won, then that would be another matter altogether, but he_ didn't_. I killed him, something I've thought about doing for years, ever since... since the attack. I've killed people before, people who deserved it a lot less than he did... so what makes him any different? Why can't I just forget about him and move on?"

She knew the answer as soon as the question left her lips, and the realization made her chuckle dryly. "Mmm... because I never forget about them, do I? No matter how hard I try... I can still remember every kill, every face... every scream." She felt her fingers curl into fists. "Damn you, you son of a bitch," she swore. "You were right after all, weren't you? Now that you're dead, you haunt me just as much as when you were alive. I suppose I'll get to stay up late every night talking to you, too... just like all the others."

Her tone turned bitter. "The survey team never found his body. That in itself doesn't surprise me; after I defeated the Metroid Prime, the whole temple collapsed into the meteor crater. He's buried under a thousand tons of rock... and without proof of his death, I'll never get the million-credit bounty on his head. Two years ago, the pirates stole his body out from under me on Zebes... and now, even in death, he manages to slip through my fingers again." She growled. "The money the Federation is paying me for this job had better be worth it. I never want to come back to this godforsaken star system again. End of log."

The computer buzzed and whirred. _"Recording complete. Audio log for October 15, 2047 has been dated and archived._

Samus bowed her head and ran her fingers through her hair with an agitated sigh. "Hunter?"

_"Yes, ma'am."_

"What is the current time?"

_"It is currently 1800 hours Galactic Standard time, 1200 hours Tallon III time."_

"Mmm, high noon. Good. Send a subspace message to Federation HQ. Tell them I'm making planetfall on Tallon III as of 1200 hours local time."

_"Are you certain it is wise to disembark immediately, ma'am? The inflection of your voice in your log suggests that you are presently rather... angry."_

She gave a rueful smile. "I do my best work when I'm mad, Hunter. Is my armor ready?"

Two quick beeps. _"Affirmative. Repairs to the damage incurred on your last mission have been completed. Your suit's energy tanks have been fully energized, and all rounds of spent ammunition have been reloaded. Beam calibrations have been checked and verified. All diagnostics read green. You are ready for combat."_

Samus rose from her chair, stretching her arms high above her head. She leaned forward upon the ship's navigational console, bracing her palms upon the control panel, and gave the blue-green planet a last, long look. She drew a few locks of flaxen hair out of her eyes, and inhaled deeply before letting out a slow, cleansing breath. She firmly nodded her head.

"All right, Hunter. Time to suit up."

**End of Chapter I**


End file.
